Dozens of environmental activists have braved freezing temperatures to protest at the site of a proposed mega dairy farm in the Mackenzie Country, in the South Island, today.
Protesters locked themselves to diggers and other machinery, disrupting the construction of a large irrigation pipeline for the new farm, Greenpeace said in a statement.
"Our message is clear. For the Mackenzie and our rivers, industrial dairy expansion has to stop," Greenpeace Sustainability Agriculture Campaigner Genevieve Toop said.
"The dairy industry has polluted our rivers and our climate for too long. This latest incursion into the iconic Mackenzie Country shows just how extreme this industry has become," Ms Toop said.
The site for the proposed farm is a crucial habitat for the native kakī, or black stilt, a rare wading bird with a population of 100.
"The Mackenzie is a fragile wilderness, home to critically endangered native species, world-renowned landscapes, and bright blue glacial lakes. It's simply not suitable for dairy farming."
Ms Toop said the proposed mega farm is a "shameful example" of the failure of the country's rules to protect the rivers and environment from industrial dairying.
Nearly 30,000 people have signed the Greenpeace petition to ban new dairy conversions across the country.
To sign the petition, click here.
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